West City Tour

The West City Tour begins at Rotary Community Park located at the corner of Highway 150 and the 33. It ends at the Ojai Valley In and Spa.

A. Freedom Chase 

Nationally recognized metal sculptor,  Theodore Gall, sculpted an imposing horse as the centerpiece of Rotary Community Park. The 9,000-pound Corten steel horse was Gall’s gift to the City. A wood markup was made from Gall’s original paper drawing. Next, iron bender Andrew Ecsedy of Ojai cut out each piece of the horse from steel. The pieces were welded together and the horse was lifted onto a flatbed truck by a crane and brought to the park for installation. At one time, Ojai Community Park was a stagecoach stop; the horse in full gallop is a fitting symbol to greet Ojai residents and visitors. Gall, a Chicago native, began his art career in animation and graphic design. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Art.

B. Rotary Community Park Shelter

RTK studios donated the hand-glazed artisan tiles that grace the park shelters’ benches. The tiles use an old Spanish Moor technique learned by Richard Keit and Mary Kennedy, RTK Tile owners, and artists. A line is drawn around colored areas using a bulb syringe filled with manganese carbonate and oil. When the tiles are fired, the mixture burns off leaving a dark outline. It is used to perfection here, as well as in tile artworks found throughout Ojai.

C. Voices of Ojai

Throughout Rotary Park, etched in stone, you will find quotations from well-known Ojaians such as Jiddu Krishnamurti and Annie Besant. The Park Shelter’s support columns are also decorated with quotes. Artist, Hope Frazier, designed the project to tie the past to the present bringing history to life.

THE OJAI VALLEY INN

Note: The Inn will happily escort you around the grounds in search of the public art pieces described here. The shuttle service is complimentary.

D. Main Lobby Triptych and Olivella Restaurant Mixed Media Artwork

A massive three-panel artwork, that spans 8 by 14 feet, graces the Inn’s main lobby wall. Artist, Pamela Grau drew upon the organic aesthetics of nature to create an elegant,  welcoming, and serene artwork that compliments the colors of the lobby’s decor. Grau is known throughout California for her art installations that often incorporate recycled materials such as lost and discarded socks! A second artwork by this unique artist decorates the wall of the entrance to one of the  Inn’s restaurants, Olivella. “Mixed Media,” is made out of repurposed take-out cups.

E. Fountain of the Four Suns

A magnificent fountain can be found in the Inn’s central courtyard area. The beautifully tiled fountain, designed by architect, Bill Mahan, represents the four cardinal directions. The four suns were hand carved by Joe Kleeman—then a mold was made and cast. The columns of turquoise tiles dividing the four panels are an Algerian pattern, an identical pattern to tiles found on an old fountain at a George Washington Smith-designed house located on Foothill Road in Ojai. Numerous fountains grace the courtyard and walls of the Inn’s extensive compound. There is, for example, a dolphin fish wall fountain near the spa’s front entrance, and a beautifully tiled wall fountain on the second-floor spa balcony.

F. The Artists Cottage

A hacienda-style Artists' Cottage is used by local Ojai artists to teach a variety of classes including pottery, painting, drawing, wreath making, batik, and papermaking. There are looms for various fiber arts such as weaving. A hand-hammered copper lambic, a shallow, flat metal pan, was imported from Europe to distill essential oils from lavender and other herbs grown in the Inn’s herb gardens so that guests can create their own personalized creams and lotions.

G. Redwood Grove Table and Benches

Opened in 2019, the show-stopping, $20 million, multi-use epicurean and event center, The Farmhouse at Ojai Valley Inn, features one of Ojai’s most beloved public artworks. The courtyard just outside the 30,000-square-foot culinary and event center is home to the Redwood Grove Table and Benches. The artwork was created by Ojai Valley School teacher and artisan woodworker, Ryan Lang. Students helped sand and plane the wood, making this table one-of-a-kind. Even more remarkable is that the table’s enormous planks are made from salvaged redwood that survived the 2017 Thomas Fire. Serendipitously, the redwood came from a stand of 30-year-old trees that grew on the very spot the Farmhouse now calls home. The story of the redwood’s journey is etched on the tabletop. Along the table’s side and over the edge, the “ghost spirit” of the tree is formed with forged metal. The matching benches each have their own “ghost spirit.” The benches can be found in the small adjacent grotto.

H. Siri Hollander Sculptures

Tucked into pathway border gardens throughout the grounds of the Inn. are delightful sculptures by artist Siri Hollander. They include “Resting Horse,” “Prance,” and “Family.”  Hollander combines steel and cement to create a mold.  The mold is then cast in bronze, leaving the rough texture that is her trademark.  Hollander lived most of her childhood in Andalusia, Spain. Influenced by a family of artists, she began sculpting at the age of seventeen. She established a connection with horses and other animals that surrounded her in her youth. She apprenticed with several accomplished sculptors both in America and Spain, eventually developing her own sculptural form.